FROM

Most people seem to think that protein only comes from meat, eggs, and
dairy. Well, folks, you may’ve heard the phrase “proteins are the building
blocks of life” -- remember that plants are alive too! Vegetables, grains,
beans, nuts, seeds, and even some fruits can be healthy sources of protein.
Considering that, if you’re eating animal products plus all these plant
foods, there’s a possibility you’re actually getting too much protein and
that can be bad for your health.

2. Vegans know that many cheeses are not vegetarian.

Have you ever looked at the ingredients on cheese and seen the word
“enzymes”? Those are the same enzymes that would cause milk to coagulate in
a mammal’s stomach, since the coagulation process is essential to cheese
making. Traditionally, these enzymes are taken from the stomachs of
slaughtered veal calves. Today, rennet can also be made from vegetable
sources or produced in a lab, but many brands - particularly of hard aged
cheeses such as parmesan, romano, and asiago - still contain veal rennet. So
that fettuccine alfredo you’re eating for Meatless Monday, well, it might
not be quite so meatless after all. (To find out if your brand of cheese is
vegetarian, check here:
http://cheese.joyousliving.com/CheeseListBrand.aspx.)

3. Vegans know how to save on their grocery bill.

The USDA’s Economic Research Service recently did a study to determine if
it’s true that eating healthy is more expensive. They found that, serving
for serving, healthy foods are less expensive than unhealthy ones. Grains,
fruits, and vegetables are among the least expensive foods when calculated
on a per-serving basis, and beans are one of the lowest cost proteins. Meat
and junk foods were at the top end of the cost-per-serving scale. So for
more food, fewer calories, and cheaper grocery bills, eating vegan is the
way to go.

4. Vegans know that gelatin is not just wiggly and jiggly - it’s also
made of piggy.

When we think about gelatin, we think of Jell-O - bright, colorful,
wiggly cubes of... pig skin? Yes. Gelatin is made from collagen, which is
found in the skin and bones of animals. Pig skins, cow hides, and the bones
of these animals are boiled to extract the collagen, which is filtered and
ground into a powder. It’s then used to make Jell-O, pill capsules, and
included in a surprising variety of other products.

5. Vegans know that animals die to produce eggs and milk.

So often, people will ask vegans, “Why don’t you eat eggs? It doesn’t
hurt the chicken to lay them. Why not milk? Cows have to be milked or
they’ll die.” Here’s the real deal: taking the living conditions of these
female animals out of the equation, what do you think happens to their male
offspring?

Today’s chickens are bred in very specific ways - to be either egg-layers
or “roasters.” The male chicks of the egg-layers haven’t been bred large
enough to be valued as roasters, so they are useless to farmers. They are
slaughtered at birth, frequently in horrific ways.

As for cows, how this crazy idea that cows have to be milked got started,
I’ll never understand! Cows are mammals and their process of nursing their
young is exactly like human breastfeeding. When they get pregnant, their
bodies produce milk for the infant. When the infant stops needing milk,
their bodies stop producing it. In order to keep a cow producing milk, it
has to be continually re-impregnated, and its calves have to be taken away.
Female offspring may become dairy cows, but male offspring are typically
slaughtered for veal. (Check out the first two FAQs from the veal industry
to see for yourself http://www.vealfarm.com/faq.aspx)

6. Vegans know you’re eating some stuff you don’t know about.

Crushed insect shells in juices and candies, hair and feathers in bread,
fish oil in your orange juice, animal fat in your soap... these aren’t
accidental contamination or urban myths, these are standard ingredients.
(They will be labeled in respective order as: carmine, cochineal, shellac,
or confectioner’s glaze; amino L-cysteine; omega-3; and sodium tallowate.)
And yes, the government has deemed these bugs and bits to be safe for you,
but clearly manufacturers know the very idea is unpalatable to you or the
sources would be made clear.

7. Vegans know that the scrawny weakling vegan stereotype is a total
myth.

The number of powerful vegan athletes at the top of their games continues
to grow. From Olympic track and field star Carl Lewis (who reports the best
year of track he ever ran was the year he went vegan) to NFL running back
Arian Foster (who is expected to lead the league in rushing though he went
vegan this summer), athletes who go vegan are finding it not only doesn’t
hurt their performance, it can help!

8. Vegans know how awesome vegan food really is!

To be fair, you may know this too if you watch Cupcake Wars, where vegan
bakers have faced off against traditional fare and won more than once. Or
you may know it if you’ve ever had a particularly wonderful spaghetti
marinara. Or if you’re crazy about hummus. From cornflakes to Oreos, from
cherry turnovers to fresh bread, you probably eat ‘accidentally vegan’ food
all the time without thinking about it. But there’s so much more amazing
vegan food out there to discover. The idea that it’s all salads and soy is
pretty silly, when you think about it.

9. Vegans know what it’s like to change the way you look at food.

We understand that you “love your steak.” We know that you think you
“could never give up cheese.” What makes you think that we didn’t feel the
same way? The vast majority of vegans once ate just like you do now. So
there’s little point in telling us all the reasons that you “can’t” develop
a kinder, healthier diet - we know you can, when and if you make that
choice. (And the truth is that you wouldn’t find it a fraction as hard as
you think.) But we can also empathize with how hard it is to even
contemplate, how difficult it is to think about changing something that’s
been such a fundamental part of your life since childhood. Why not ask what
it’s like, or how we accomplished it? You might be inspired to take some
small, positive steps for your health or the animals.

The United Nations’ Food & Agriculture Organization, The Stockholm
International Water Institute, Oxfam, along with many other organizations of
scientists, politicians, and thought leaders are calling for a major
reorganization of our food system and warning of the dire environmental,
health, and societal consequences of continuing on the path we’re on. Simply
put, current factory farming methods to produce meat are contributing to
global warming, world hunger, and epidemics of preventable diseases. The
choices we make about our food today will impact all our lives tomorrow.

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